CQR Immigrants and the Economy
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Published by CQ Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc. www.cqresearcher.com Immigrants and the Economy Do they help spur growth? resident Trump’s vows to protect American jobs and improve national security by tightening U.S. borders are intensifying the debate over immigration’s impact Pon the economy. Many politicians and workers argue that immigrants — legal and illegal — undercut wages and take jobs from native-born workers. They also contend undocumented immigrants burden society with welfare, medical and education costs. Immigration advocates respond that newcomers bring badly needed skills to the American economy, especially in the technolo - gy sector, where half the leaders of billion-dollar Silicon Valley companies are immigrants. Advocates also say immigrants often Workers at Morning Glory Diner in Philadelphia, many Latino, skipped work on Feb. 16, 2017, to join the fill low-wage jobs short on workers, from home building to land - nationwide “Day Without Immigrants” campaign dramatizing immigrants’ importance to the economy. scaping and dishwashing. Many experts fear the heated debate over President Trump’s crackdown on immigration, including his proposal to build a wall on the Mexican border and deport undocumented immigration may cause the world’s most talented young people to immigrants, spurred the protests. avoid studying at American universities or moving to the United I States. Meanwhile, “Dreamers” — children brought to the United THIS REPORT N States illegally — are nervously waiting to learn whether the ad - THE ISSUES ....................171 S BACKGROUND ................177 ministration will allow them to stay in this country. I CHRONOLOGY ................179 D CURRENT SITUATION ........184 E CQ Researcher • Feb. 24, 2017 • www.cqresearcher.com AT ISSUE ........................185 Volume 27, Number 8 • Pages 169-192 OUTLOOK ......................187 RECIPIENT OF SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS AWARD FOR BIBLIOGRAPHY ................190 EXCELLENCE N AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION SILVER GAVEL AWARD THE NEXT STEP ..............191 IMMIGRANTS AND THE ECONOMY Feb. 24, 2017 THE ISSUES SIDEBARS AND GRAPHICS Volume 27, Number 8 EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Thomas J. Billitteri • Are undocumented immi - 172 Asians Are Wealthiest [email protected] 171 grants good for the U.S. U.S. Immigrants ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITORS: Kenneth economy? Mexicans have the most low- Fireman, [email protected], income households. Kathy Koch , [email protected], • Do local economies bene - Scott Rohrer, [email protected] fit from the arrival of legal U.S. Immigrant Count immigrants? SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: 173 on the Rise Thomas J. Colin • Should more H-1B visa Almost 13 percent of the [email protected] holders be allowed to remain U.S. population was foreign- in the United States? CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Marcia Clemmitt, born in 2013. Sarah Glazer, Reed Karaim, Peter Katel , Barbara Mantel, Chuck McCutcheon , H-1B Applications Hit Tom Price BACKGROUND 176 New High Nearly 350,000 applications SENIOR PROJECT EDITOR: Olu B. Davis Immigrants Spur Economy were filed in 2015. 177 Early America’s economy EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Anika Reed grew along with immigration. Chronology FACT CHECKERS: Eva P. Dasher, 179 Key events since 1607. Michelle Harris, Betsy Towner Levine, 178 Great Famine Robin Palmer Mass starvation led to the A ‘Dreamer’ Fears for 19th-century Irish exodus. 180 Her Family Children who were undocu - 180 Chinese Contributions mented when they arrived Immigration from China could face deportation. rose after normalization of An Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc. Chinese-U.S. relations. Immigrants Help Tech 182 Engine Run SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, Mexico’s Ups, Downs GLOBAL LEARNING RESOURCES: 181 “I don’t know if we can Karen Phillips The population of undocu - close our borders and be mented Mexican immigrants self-sustaining.” EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ONLINE LIBRARY AND rose by 5 million in 30 years. REFERENCE PUBLISHING: At Issue: Todd Baldwin 185 Will limiting illegal immigra - CURRENT SITUATION Copyright © 2017 CQ Press, an Imprint of SAGE Pub - tion protect U.S. economic lications, Inc. SAGE reserves all copyright and other interests? Immigration in Crosshairs rights herein, unless pre vi ous ly spec i fied in writing. 184 Immigrant advocates are No part of this publication may be reproduced pushing back against the FOR FURTHER RESEARCH electronically or otherwise, without prior written Trump administration’s plans. permission. Un au tho rized re pro duc tion or trans mis - sion of SAGE copy right ed material is a violation of For More Information 184 Immigration Restrictions 189 Organizations to contact. federal law car ry ing civil fines of up to $100,000. Tech company executives CQ Press is a registered trademark of Congressional have denounced President Bibliography Quarterly Inc. Trump’s executive order. 190 Selected sources used. CQ Researcher (ISSN 1056-2036) is printed on acid-free 186 Sanctuary Cities The Next Step paper. Pub lished weekly, except: (March wk. 4) (May Trump threatens to cut funding 191 Additional articles . wk. 4) (July wks. 1, 2) (Aug. wks. 2, 3) (Nov. wk. 4) for cities offering safe havens. and (Dec. wks. 3, 4). Published by SAGE Publications, Citing CQ Researcher Inc., 2455 Teller Rd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Annual 191 Sample bibliography formats. full -service subscriptions start at $1,131. For pricing, OUTLOOK call 1-800-818-7243. To purchase a CQ Researcher report in print or electronic format (PDF), visit www.cqpress. Searching for Solutions com or call 866-427-7737. Single reports start at $15. 187 Trump’s plan to restrict travel Bulk purchase discounts and electronic-rights licensing could face Supreme Court are also available. Periodicals postage paid at Thousand review. Oaks, California, and at additional mailing offices . POST MAST ER: Send ad dress chang es to CQ Re search - er , 2600 Virginia Ave., N.W., Suite 600, Wash ing ton, Cover: Getty Images/Jessica Kourkounis DC 20037. 170 CQ Researcher Immigrants and the Economy BY MICHELINE MAYNARD Reaction was swift on all THE ISSUES sides. Supporters of the tough new policies believe they will fter emigrating from protect the country’s security Syria to the United and provide more jobs to A States in 1906, Ed American citizens. But other Hyder’s grandfather got his start Americans and businesses peddling shirt collars and dry that rely on immigrants to goods to men maintaining the spur innovation and keep Erie Canal and railroads in New operations flowing voiced York state. Hyder’s father and deep reservations. uncles eventually took over the The furor underscored business, opening shops that how deeply conflicted Ameri - sold meat and groceries. cans are over the impact of The first two generations immigration on jobs and the of Hyders would have been overall U.S. economy. Oppo - dazzled to see what the third nents focus mainly on illegal and fourth generations of the immigration and say it takes family have done with the jobs from Americans and business. In a converted fire - costs the treasury billions of house in Worcester, Mass., dollars. Supporters discount d r Hyder and his son Gregory a these concerns and say im - n y run a popular Mediterranean a migration — especially legal M market with a staff of 15 work - e immigration of highly edu - n i ers, drawing an avid foodie l e cated foreigners — is a boon h c audience with far more up - i to the economy. scale tastes than the working- M After a federal judge is - Syrian-Americans Ed Hyder and his son Gregory cl ass customers who gave the operate a popular Mediterranean grocery in Worcester, sued a stay on implement - early Hyders their start. The Mass. Friendly immigration policies enabled Ed’s ing parts of Trump’s exec - shelves are filled with big grandfather to immigrate to the United States in 1906, utive order on refugees and containers of flour and racks where he got his start peddling dry goods. Americans travel — which the Trump of exotic spices, and refrig - worried about homeland security and jobs praised administration appealed — President Trump’s immigration actions, while potential erator cases contain home - immigrants and businesses that rely on foreign workers more than 100 chief execu - made Middle Eastern special - called them harmful to the economy. tives from technology and ties and soups. other companies filed a For Hyder, the heated debate over wall on the U.S.-Mexico border to keep brief with the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court the Trump administration’s hard-nosed migrants from Mexico and Central of Appeals, arguing the Presi dent’s immigration plans hits home. Friendly America from crossing into the United so-called “Muslim ban” violated the immigration policies allowed his an - States. He then signed a second order U.S. Constitution and would badly cestors to immigrate to the United States, on Jan. 27 temporarily blocking immi - hurt their businesses. he says; restrictive ones would have gration from seven predominantly “The backbone of our engineering team kept them out. “Limiting immigration Muslim Middle East countries. And is from overseas,” said Randy Wootton, limits the possibilities of what we can on Feb. 21, the Department of Home - CEO of the advertising- technology firm achieve as Americans,” Hyder says. “I land Security detailed a more aggres - Rocket Fuel, which signed the brief. don’t want to indiscriminately let in sive approach to arresting and de - “Imagine not having access to that talent people who hate America. But it’s a porting undocumented immigrants — — it’s a real disservice to American hard call, who’s good and who’s bad.” even those who have committed business.” 2 (See sidebar, p. 182. ) Since taking office, President Trump minor offenses — including enlisting In addition, a coalition of nearly has moved on several fronts to tighten local police as enforcers, building 600 colleges and universities sent a immigration policy. On Jan. 25, he new detention facilities and speeding letter to Homeland Security Secretary signed an executive order to build a up deportations .